Watch: What's It Like to Be a Bodega Cat in New York City?

WYNC lets bodega cats of New York City share their lives 'in their own words'

WNYC

Pictured here: Sheeba, a bodega cat who's been the cat-in-residence of his local deli for 12 years.

Bodega cats are a vital part of bodega culture, health code be damned. They’re incredibly useful for keeping the rodent population at bay, and they tend to be pretty friendly and social from interacting with customers all day.

This week, New York City also became the first city in North America to host a cat café, which is live-streaming right now from Bowery Street. Was the humble bodega cat the inspiration for the American cat café all along? Perhaps.

In any case, meet some of the bodega cats of New York:

Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.